re: Can you actually drown in waders?

Just watched a video on wader safety and they emphasized the wader belt. Going to put mine back on today.

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ou're at it try to remove waders while in the water..... you'll quickly learn that ain't an option.

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YEah, suction is real.

There's a big difference in wading in flowing vs still waters....

I was a green jeans back in the 90's. Part of water survival week was jumping in the deep end of a 60 degree pool with hip boots, then knee boots, then chest waders.

With the chest waders, if you bend your knees before they fill up, they will actually float you if you can relax and lean back. If they fill up and you are relaxed, you can tread water for quite a while. They will not sink you, as water does not weigh you down in water. We all were under the misconception that you would sink immediately, and found out otherwise LOL.

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But to swim or maneuver in waders, all the weight of water inside the waders has to move with your legs, and displace the weight of water outside the waders. The more water in the waders, that harder it is

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yes but one does not sink because of this.

and no.. you ain't cutting them loose....

like I have said my 300 yard swim then yes, now.. cardiac arrest.....

but the drop off dunkings in between - calm reaction - I lived, panic I died -with or without waders.

I almost fell over the transom in the gulf stream releasing a snake sailfish. I was alone and the boat was idling in gear...had I gone in there is NO way I would have ever caught the boat. I have not gotten out of my truck at a boat ramp since without putting on a PFD before doing anything else. In cold weather it goes under my coat. At best a base layer, a shirt and the PFD.

I NEVER wear waders in a boat anymore after taking a slipping on ice on the deck of my boat and going in about 3 feet of water. The surface temp was 35 degrees and the air temp was about 40...it was as painful as falling 25 feet and hitting concrete - I know from a industrial accident when I was 23 years old. I was in 3 feet of water of 35 degree water and 40 degree air temps and hitting the water almost knocked me out. It took some time to actually get in the water...it wasn't a bad as jumping in would be...I grabbed the blind and more or less eased in...it still was like getting blindsided on a football field and having the wind knocked out of you. I did not have a coat on but had on a pfd. I never thought to deploy it. I floundered around until I managed to get my feet under me...almost completely panicked for a few seconds until I remembered I had meant to wade the spot and it was only about waist deep. I liked to have never got back in the boat. The front of the boat was about chest high and the gunwales were about halfway between my chest and waist...normall I could have clambered up on the gunwale and swung one leg over and stood up in the boat. Not only were my legs not working but the rest of my body was not working...cold water will do that to you. I finally managed to pull myself up until I could belly flop into the boat. My waders were only about filled to the top of the boot...my lower body was nearly dry....I took off my waders, put on a coat and hunted about 4 hours until the sun warmed the air temps up to about 45, picked up and idled back to the hill. It was touch and go. Had it been in 6 feet of water I do not think I would have ever got back in the boat. Even with a transom ladder...i did not have one...I don't think my arms and shoulders would have worked well enough to get back in the boat. It is damned dangerous. Cold water is like a sledge hammer hitting your entire being. It will almost knock you out immediately....it is extremely dangerous.

I remember as a kid that place used to be a shitshow. My dad has killed some monster bucks in that place with his bow.